Forever Mine, My Beautiful Doll
by Lifeless Romance
Summary: "Do not yell. It becomes quite bothersome. The more you struggle, the more unnecessary pain you will have to endure."   Ciel struggled weakly as the puppet strings worked to immobilize him. "I shall make you a beautiful doll; one like no other."
1. Chapter 1

**Hi all! Well, I wrote this because I think there needs to be more fanfics with Drocell. Sorry if Drocell or Ciel gets too out of character, I need to work on that...Thank you _DiorCrystal_ for taking the time to beta this for me! And thank you _RinRinDaishi _of Deviant art for giving me the inspiration to write this. Love you guys to death~**

**Lastly, I do not own Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji or any of their characters! Enjoy~!**

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><p>It was a quiet day in the city of London, as Drocell Cainz worked quietly in his doll shop – dressing up the newly made doll with utmost care. She was a beautiful doll – her face beautifully made of porcelain, her features painted on with precision and finesse. He watched with indifference as the day went on, as little girls and their parents walked by the shop to look at the dolls he had on display. None of them were interesting enough for him to take note of. Though, of course, the many beautiful life-size dolls on display in his shop was all that was left of the selected few that he had decided their beauty must be preserved from time. As he worked on the porcelain doll on his wooden working table inside the shop, he allowed himself a small smile while he silently mocked their narrow-mindedness.<p>

He let out a quiet laugh as he recalled his latest victim: _A fair-skinned young lady with shining brown eyes and soft brown hair. Her face was framed by a lacy bonnet as she walked hastily along the street. He noted with disgust as he recalled this young lady pressing her face against the shop's glass window, peering inside at the marvelous dolls on display. As her face left the window, a trace of her heavily caked make-up remained on the window. _How distasteful._ To his dismay, the same lady walked into the store and looked around._

"_Good evening, Miss," he greeted her mechanically with a slight bow. As he quickly glanced at her attire, he immediately noted that she was of nobility in status._ A woman of nobility, yet she paints herself like a common prostitute…

"_I was hoping you would have a doll I can purchase for my fiancée's niece. She absolutely adores dolls… but she has so many…"_

_He listened to her story silently without interest._

"_I am hoping you will be able to make a special doll for her."_

"_I understand…" Drocell said slowly as he walked towards her. He smiled down at her, his smile a twisted grin, which she must have taken to be charming as her face turned a faint shade of pink. "A special doll that is one of a kind…"_

"_Yes."_

"_Then may I have permission to make a doll of you?"_

"… _M-me?" she asked timidly._

_He nodded and offered her his hand, like he did with his previous victims. "I shall make you a beautiful doll… unlike any other. Please allow me to lead you to my work room…"_

_As the lady's cheeks turned an even deeper shade of red, she accepted his hand and allowed him to lead her into the dimly lit hallway and into his work room._

He placed the unfinished porcelain doll carefully back down on his work table, walked down the all-too-familiar hallway and opened a wooden door at the end of the hall. Very little light poured in from the small crack of a window in the room. But that was all he needed to see: whatever that was left of the young lady was lying on the table – her eyes were glossed over and glistening like glass, and her now porcelain skin reflected the light off her face. He had a fair amount of amusement making that lady into a doll. She was gullible – even more so than the average person. She had immediately dozed off after he told her to wait in the room; did not flinch in the slightest as he drained her of her blood and watched as her life slowly ebbed away.

"_London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down. London bridge is falling down, My Fair Lady,"_ Drocell sang softly, waving his arms as if conducting. The doll on the table sat up and stood on the ground, stiff and lifeless. "_Take the key and lock her up, lock her up, lock her up. Take the key and lock her up. My Fair Lady,"_ he continued and watched as the doll moved mechanically to join the other dolls he had created the same way in the room.

And that was the end of that.

oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox~

Ciel Phantomhive stormed down the streets of London in a fit. _That idiot demon!_ It was so predictable that Sebastian would be distracted by the mere sight of a small kitten in the middle of the street. It wasn't the first time that his butler had been distracted by them but in front of Scotland Yard, in the midst of investigating the disappearances of several girls in London under the name of the Queen? No. That was the last straw.

He had slapped him, hard, in public for his lack of discipline and even _that_ was not enough for that damn cat-loving butler of his to snap out of his stupor. He gritted his teeth in frustration as his legs carried him around town – not having the slightest idea as to where he was. He turned around in a circle, completely lost. Earl Ciel Phantomhive was completely, and hopelessly lost. Of course, he _could_ summon Sebastian to retrieve him immediately, but that would defeat the purpose of storming away from him. He wanted to get away from that idiot. Ciel gritted his teeth, his pride forbade him from calling him – if Sebastian would like to apologize for his intolerable public behavior; Sebastian will search _him_ out.

"Momma, Momma! Look at the pretty dolls on display!"

Ciel turned towards the direction of the noise that snapped him back to reality – a little girl and her mother were looking at the dolls on display at a peculiar doll shop at the end of the street. Ciel suddenly remembered that Elizabeth's birthday was fast approaching and he had yet to think about what to give her for her birthday. His feet took him to the door of the store and he peered inside.

Inside the shop sat a person with orange hair and violet eyes, his attention focused on the unfinished doll in his hands as he picked up one tool after another to make its features.

Without thinking, Ciel pushed the door open and walked inside. A small bell tinkled, alerting the shop owner to his presence.

Drocell's eyes shifted their attention to the door where Ciel stood and he got up and bowed in greeting.

"Welcome to my doll shop," Drocell greeted. "My name is Drocell. How may I be of assistance?"

Ciel ignored the orange-haired man as he looked around the shop, studying the dolls. "Do you make dolls?"

"Of course," Drocell replied with a slight nod. "That is my trade after all."

"Then make a one-of-a-kind doll for me," Ciel demanded in an authoritative tone.

"I apologize, but the shop will be closed soon… perhaps another day," Drocell replied. He continued to gaze at Ciel. _Such a beautiful boy… he shall make a beautiful doll… a one-of-a-kind doll indeed._

Ciel stood there, stubborn, and looked at him, a frown evident on his face.

Drocell allowed himself a small smile. "That is… unless you are willing to come inside to my workshop."

The overall atmosphere of the dimly-lit shop and Drocell's piercing violet eyes sent chills down Ciel's spine. _There is definitely something odd about him,_ Ciel concluded, but he clenched his fists and narrowed his uncovered eye. He could always summon Sebastian to rescue him if necessary. _No_, Ciel shook the idea out of his head; he wanted nothing to do with him right now. And perhaps, with the recent disappearances in the London area, he could question this doll-maker if he had witnessed anything. He nodded and followed Drocell as he led him through a wooden door in the back of the store.

The hallway was pitch black, the only light emitting from the single candle Drocell held as he led the way. He led the blue-haired earl down the hall; he had the ghost of a smile on his lips. He opened the door to his workroom and lit the oil lamp, bathing the room in a soft orange glow. Drocell silently motioned for Ciel to sit down while walking stiffly to the drawer where he kept his tools.

Ciel squirmed in his seat, feeling restless. "How long will this take?"

"What kind of doll are you requesting?" Drocell walked towards him and asked.

Ciel only shrugged and looked away. "Something special…"

"Your answer… I reason, the doll must be for someone very special to you…"

"Y-yes."

"Then perhaps _you_ yourself will be a suitable doll."

"W-what?"

Drocell only smiled as he kneeled on one knee and looked at Ciel at eye level. "I shall make you a beautiful doll; one like no other. That will be a sufficient gift, I reason – a gift far more superior than an ordinary doll sitting on the shelves of my shop."

Ciel looked into his piercing violet eyes and suddenly began to feel drowsy. As his head nodded away and he struggled to stay awake, the last sensation he felt was the feeling of being carried and placed on a hard wooden surface before falling into unconsciousness.

Drocell took his tools to where Ciel laid, unconscious, and traced a gloved finger down his face. Everything about this boy was beautiful. _But he does not smile… why?_ Drocell noted with slight confusion. He removed his gloves and removed Ciel's dark blue jacket before grabbing the scalpel to make an incision into his neck to drain his blood.

Ciel's eyes snapped open as he felt the cold metal cut through his neck, only to be greeted by those piercing violet eyes.

"W-what are you doing? Let me go this instant!" Ciel demanded, fear evident in his voice, his body too weak to move.

"I will make you a beautiful doll ," Drocell replied. "But..." His hand pointed at Ciel's eye patch. "You have been damaged."

Ciel slapped his hand away from him angrily. "So itwas _you_! You were the cause of the disappearances!" He struggled to sit up and climb down the table and escape.

Drocell merely sighed and waved his hand in the air. Puppet strings from every direction flew to grab a hold of Ciel, restricting his movements.

"What the hell? LET ME GO THIS INSTANT!" Ciel struggled with the remaining energy he had, but to no avail. He froze with fear as Drocell walked towards him with a scalpel in his hand.

"You are a difficult boy… you can try to escape. But you will not succeed. Too much movement will only hinder my work and irritate me."

Ciel glared at him with bitter hatred as Drocell slowly removed his eye patch.

"Oh my… mismatched eyes... that is not beautiful. But that can be fixed." The orange-haired doll maker walked to a small drawer and took out a dark-blue glass eye before returning. "I believe this will match perfectly." He set the glass eye aside.

Ciel closed his eyes, afraid to see what will happen next but was overpowered as his contract eye was forcibly pried open.

"SEBA–" Ciel was cut off as he was gagged with a piece of cloth.

"Do not yell. It becomes quite bothersome. The more you struggle, the more unnecessary pain you will have to endure."

Ciel struggled weakly as the puppet strings worked to immobilize him and all he could do was watch in horror as Drocell brought the scalpel down to his contract eye.

Drocell worked skillfully to remove the contract eye from his soon-to-be new doll, bearing no mind to Ciel's muffled screams. Within minutes, Ciel's contract eye was on the table – severed from the rest of his body as it stared back at its former owner. Tears mixed with blood while Ciel, gagged, trembled out of terror and pain with the realization that the contract was now no longer intact. He was truly alone now… no one was able to save him.

Suddenly, a wave of numbness spread throughout his body. _I… I'm really going to die…?_ But Ciel was more awake than ever… his remaining eye darted around the room as tears streamed down his face. _There's no more point in holding my emotions back… I'm going to die… _Pictures flashed before his eyes; of his childhood. _Lizzie… I'm sorry…I'm so, so sorry… _

He felt a gentle touch on his face, snapping him back to the hellish reality he was forced to be in. "Tears do not suit you, my beautiful doll. You should smile."

"I-I… I don't want to be… a doll…" Ciel whispered in the midst of his tears. He began to feel very sleepy.

"Shh…" The doll-maker whispered, almost endearing, as he stroked his hair, "You will grow to enjoy it. Perhaps you will even find the happiness you have lost in this life…" He fitted the glass eye into the empty eye socket.

"Happiness…" Ciel whispered the word, not having the energy to speak anymore as the numbness continued to spread throughout his body. _How foolish…_

_oxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox~_

The next time Ciel came to, he found himself in a sitting position as the doll-maker seemed to be cleaning his face with a piece of cloth.

"W-what are you doing?" he asked, his voice barely audible. The pain in his eye was gone as he realized that he was able to see with both eyes again.

"Your beautiful porcelain skin must be polished. You will be beautiful; the most beautiful doll in the world…" was his reply as he grabbed a pair of scissors and began trimming Ciel's hair.

Ciel did not have the heart to move about as he sat with his head looking at the ground. He wanted to scream; he wanted to cry and he desperately wanted to escape. _But how?_

"You are thinking of escape… I can conclude that from your silence… am I correct?" Drocell spoke as if he had read Ciel's mind. Ciel remained silent.

Drocell combed through Ciel's hair with a dolls' comb before walking back slightly to admire his work. "Your clothes… they must be at least equally beautiful." With that said, the orange-haired doll-maker smiled at him before walking briskly towards a large closet. As Drocell rummaged through the closet for something much more appropriate for Ciel, Ciel was determined to escape while his captor was distracted. Ciel attempted to stand, and was shocked to find his body unresponsive. _Damn it!_

He sat there helplessly as Drocell returned with a dark blue outfit with ruffles and lace and intricate patterns. Something Lizzy would often bring him as gifts.

Ciel could only sit on the chair, limp, and look on as Drocell began to change his clothes.

"Why are you… doing this?" Ciel found himself, once more, choking back tears.

"Because dark blue is a beautiful colour that brings out your beautiful eyes," Drocell replied as he took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the tears that were escaping from Ciel's eyes. "And tears do not suit you, my beautiful doll."

Ciel remembered the latest conversation he had with Lizzie...

"_Ciel…!" The sound of her calling his name made him flinch. "Ah... you're wearing those plain clothes again! Why won't you wear any of the cute things I buy for you, Ciel?"_

"_Um… because they got dirty…" Such a lame excuse, but Ciel hoped that it would be sufficient to push aside this pointless matter._

"_Oh…" Lizzy's sad eyes suddenly brightened up as she, to his dismay, held up another bag and pushed it into his arms. "I'm glad you said so, Ciel! I just bought you the cutest outfit today! It's dark blue so it matches your eyes and it's super cute!"_

Ciel focused his blue eyes at the orange-haired doll-maker as he skillfully undressed him and changed his clothes. Ciel tried to hold back the tears building up inside him. _Lizzie… Sebastian… anyone…! Find me… SAVE ME! ANYONE!_ he screamed on the inside. He felt himself being pulled in to a standing position and his eyes focused back onto his hell-bent reality.

"W-what are you doing?" Ciel tried to struggle free.

"You are a beautiful doll with a lovely face and beautiful clothes," Drocell began to explain. "But a beautiful doll must move beautifully as well."

Before Ciel could fully register what was happening, he felt the strings gently guide him from one graceful movement to another.

"Smile, my beautiful doll – you have a sad expression, it does not suit you well."

Ciel struggled against the pulls of the puppet strings and his heart leaped as he heard small snapping sounds as some of the strings controlling his legs snapped. Ciel stood there, wobbling as he tried to walk on his own. _It is not as difficult as I thought…_ Ciel wobbled around in unsteady steps before feeling something pop and the feeling of something grinding together in his legs when he tried to move again – this time with much more difficulty.

Drocell looked on silently in amusement until the near-inaudible sound of the joints popping made him walk near his brand new doll. He guided Ciel back to the wooden chair and immediately went to work to mend his fractured leg joint.

"You were not careful," Drocell bluntly stated as he worked with speed and skill.

"It… was… fun…" Ciel replied hesitantly but honestly.

"Be more careful." When he finished fixing Ciel's leg, Drocell gently pulled Ciel into a standing position. "Try again if you wish. I believe I have fixed the problem so movement will be easier and smoother."

Ciel gave a small nod and began slowly walking around the room – trying to be as careful as he could. _This isn't so bad…_ Ciel walked a bit more casually with no problems. Pretty soon, he was running around the doll shop and dancing around, laughing and smiling. _I have almost forgotten what this feels like!_

"I did not realize you can be so energetic," Drocell said, leaning against the wall as he watched – the slightest ghost of a smile graced his lips.

Ciel took Drocell's hands, to the doll-maker's surprise. "This is fun! You should try it too!" Ciel led the both of them in a playful little dance, laughing to his heart's content.

They danced and played until the sun began to peak out from the horizon and began to fill the shop with its bright light. Their fun had to end as Drocell reopened his shop for the day.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ciel casually sat on Drocell's work table and watched as Drocell greeted the customers that walked into his shop in his normal routine, his legs swinging about playfully. Ciel absentmindedly hummed to himself, unaware of the approach of a little girl as she pulled at the sleeve of his clothes.

"Ah! Sorry!" The little girl quickly let go of his sleeve and covered her face and looked at him between the cracks of her fingers.

"Hm? Oh…" Ciel gave a small smile. "It is fine. Don't worry"

"I-it was just that you were so pretty… I thought you were another one of his pretty dolls…"

"I-is that so?" He let out a nervous chuckle. "I-I'm just a… friend of his…" He attempted a smile.

Their conversation was cut short when Drocell handed the little girl her brand new doll and the little girl ran out of the shop with her parents.

Once the two of them were once again alone in the doll shop, Ciel swung his legs back and forth playfully. "It's odd… but… it feels nice letting go of everything… I feel like a completely different person…" A faint smile made its way to Ciel's lips.

"The weight of your past life will never touch you again, my beautiful doll," Drocell replied while stroking his porcelain cheek gently.

Ciel instinctively leaned into his touch, looked out the window of the shop and let out a startled cry when he saw a few all-too-familiar faces. Drocell gave a questioning look at Ciel but Ciel continued to stare through the window, dumbfounded.

"What is it…?" His violet eyes looked towards the window, wondering what was wrong.

"E-Elizabeth…! How did she find me… here…" Ciel mumbled, eyes wide with panic and surprise. "A-and Scotland Yard too… How is this possible?"

But before Ciel could tell Drocell not to open the door, Elizabeth Middleford along with members of the Scotland Yard had already entered the shop.

_No… I… don't want to go back…!_ Ciel prayed Elizabeth that could not hear his heart pounding against his chest and that she would not recognize him. To his dismay, she walked towards him with her all-too-familiar enthusiasm.

"Aw! You look so cute!" Elizabeth ran towards him and stopped to take a long look. "It's so strange. You look so much like Ciel!" She took out a picture of him and compared it side by side.

"I-is that s-so?" Ciel attempted to crack a smile. He instinctively backed away when Elizabeth leaned closer to look at his eyes.

"Hm?" She reexamined the photo. "But Ciel has an injured eye…" She let out a big sigh and walked out of the shop, followed by Scotland Yard. "Besides, Ciel would _never_ even consider coming to a store like this…" She turned around and looked at him one last time before continuing on her way.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ciel continued to watch as Elizabeth and the Scotland Yard left until they turned a corner and disappeared. He wanted to cry, scream, laugh – the odd mixture of emotions inside him was too much as he suddenly burst into sobs. He sat on the wooden table and curled up in a ball as he sobbed away, not noticing the violet eyes looking at him.

"You do not seem happy…" Drocell walked towards him and gently wiped his tears away with a white handkerchief. "Perhaps I was wrong…"

"You were… wrong about what?" Ciel asked in between his hiccups as he looked at the doll-maker with teary blue eyes.

"I had reasoned that if you were unhappy with your human life, you might find happiness in another life."

"What do you mean by that…?" Ciel asked hesitantly, looking at Drocell expectantly for answers.

After a few minutes of silence, the doll-maker carried him off the wooden table, set him on the floor, closed the shop, and motioned for Ciel to follow him into the dimly lit hallway behind the shop. The eerie silence between them made Ciel shiver, the only light being from the flame of the candle that Drocell held in his hand.

"Come this way, my beautiful doll." Drocell motioned for him to follow him inside. He closed the door once Ciel walked inside.

The room was very dimly lit. Ciel could barely make out the dark shadows of what appeared to be a room filled with life-size dolls. He didn't notice Drocell walking away to light the candles around the room.

Ciel let out a startled cry as the room lit up. The room was filled with life-size dolls of different physical features – nothing about any single one of them was identical in anyway. He blinked a few times – swearing one of the dolls smiled at him. In the center of the room was another small wooden table where numerous photographs were scattered about its surface. Ciel cautiously walked to where the photos were, unable to shake off the feeling that hundreds of eyes were looking at him and watching his every move. He gingerly picked up one of the photos on the table, suddenly recalling why and how he ended up at the doll shop in the first place. It was the picture of a girl that disappeared weeks ago.

"You're not going to send me back home… are you?" A timid voice of a little girl asked as he picked up the picture. Ciel let out yet another startled cry and whirled around to see a girl that resembled the picture staring back at him. "I… don't want to go back. I'm happy here… Don't send me back!" She desperately clung to him as she cried and begged while the other dolls in the room seemed to come to life and walked towards the hysterical girl, trying to calm her down.

As the light reflected off the walking dolls' faces, Ciel picked up one photograph after another – able to find a match with the group of dolls gathering around the crying doll. "You… none of you were… kidnapped…?"

The crying little girl looked at him and shook her head as she hiccupped.

"Then… why are you all hiding in this dark room?" Ciel stared at them, still in shock.

"If we leave, we will surely be recognized by people that know us," one of them replied.

"And if one of us is seen, the rest of us will be discovered," another continued. "And we don't want to go back."

"But he turned you into dolls…!"

"It's because we don't want to grow up," they answered in unison. "He asked us if we want to go back to being human, but we don't want to! We like it here."

_What?_ "Y-you mean… I can actually go back to being human?" He turned to find the doll-maker standing behind him.

He nodded before replying, "Yes. If that is what will make you happy."

"How would you know whether I was unhappy or not?" Ciel asked him, unsure of what to make of his current situation.

Drocell lowered himself with a bow to look at Ciel at eye-level. "There are things that the eyes cannot hide. Your eyes told me much more than your lips did. But if you wish, I will restore you to a human, if that will make you happy."

Ciel stood there, pondering. Did he really want to leave? Sebastian was long gone since the contract was broken. But the matter with Scotland Yard, and his estate, Elizabeth, and everyone he ever knew… would he really give all that up for a chance at finding what _might_ be happiness and hope to live the childhood that was stolen from him?

_Humans… we truly are selfish creatures…_

Ciel walked slowly and unsurely towards the doll-maker and wrapped his arms around him as he looked up into his violet eyes. "I want to stay here. I want to know what happiness is."

"Then from this moment forth, Earl Ciel Phantomhive is no more…" Drocell returned the hug as he smiled down at his beautiful new doll.

"Yeah…"

Drocell, smiling, picked him up, kissed his porcelain cheek and carried him out of that room – closing it behind them as they exited. Ciel held onto him like a child, sighing contently as he closed his eyes. The heavy weight of the burden he had carried as a human was almost instantaneously gone.

But had Ciel kept his eyes open and looked inside that dark room as Drocell closed it behind them, he would have seen the countless puppet strings throughout the room – each controlling the single movement of a different doll. He would have also seen the sonograph that made the dolls seem as if they were talking.

_Humans… _Drocell thought as he carried the sleeping doll in his arms, _they are so easy to manipulate._

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><p><strong>Okay. On a note here, I can continue this as a chaptered fanfic or stop here and make it a one-shot. Please tell me what you think after reading it whether I should continue this fic or not. I love to hear back from my readers! Until next time! ~LifelessRomance<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry it took so long for me to update. I forgot I told my beta that I was going to edit this (poorly) by myself this time since we're all busy with our own things...Oops...**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this. Like before, I apologize if my characters are somewhat out of character. My goal is to write fanfictions for the Kuroshitsuji fandom to be as in character as possible... because... frankly, I thought the Anime was too short. **

**Okay... enough with my ramblings... Please enjoy the second half of this fanfiction~! Please leave feedback! I'd love to hear from readers as to how my first Kuroshitsuji fanfiction turned out.**

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><p>"<em>Bocchan… has your resolve shattered so quickly?"<em>

"_W-what are you talking about? S-Sebastian?" He looked around frantically in the dark… was he floating? Where is he? Where's Sebastian?_ "_Show yourself!"_

_All he heard was a soft chuckle_. "_Are you so eager to have a taste of something you have lost that you would throw everything away in an attempt to only touch it? To surround yourself with lies in an attempt to take back the childhood that was stolen from you?"_

_Ciel gritted his teeth. "Shut up, you cat-obsessed idiot!"_

_Another light chuckle_. "_Humans are so amusing; they will hold on to anything that may help them escape from the situation they are in, even if they spin themselves in a cocoon of lies. How pathetic, to see that even you have succumbed to such a desperation."_

_Ciel_ _swung his fists wildly about himself in an attempt to strike his butler. "SHUT UP! You bastard!"_

"_Ah… yes… Indeed, I shall. In the mean time, it is time to wake up, Young Master…"_

Ciel's eyes snapped open, startled, only to find himself in absolute darkness. The lack of even a small crack of light made him feel very uneasy.

"S-Sebastian…?" He called out sleepily into the darkness… and waited. Ciel continued, feeling about in the darkness; he was on a bed, sleeping on a pillow, covered by a warm blanket. His arm carelessly hit the surface of the wooden bed frame, the clang of porcelain hitting wood reached his ears. He stiffened, startled at the sound that his arm made against the wood before he finally remembered what had happened. _That's right… I'm a porcelain doll…_ It is not something easy to become accustomed to.

Slowly, Ciel pulled himself out of bed, and made his way towards the nearest wall; arms outstretched exploring the darkness. It was a moderately-sized room, smaller than his own in the Phantomhive estate, yet it felt strangely comfortable – the feeling growing with each passing day. He continued to search around the walls of his dark confinement for a door, elated once his porcelain fingers brushed against what felt like a doorknob.

He curled his fingers around the doorknob and turned it slowly and quietly pushed open the door only to be blinded by the brightness of the sunlight that has bathed the entire store in its glow. He stumbled back a few steps, caught off guard by the blinding light and blinked a few times - waited for his eyes to adjust. The doll shop was empty except for Drocell, who sat on a simple wooden chair in front of a simple wooden table in the middle of constructing a new doll for the shop.

Drocell, upon hearing the sound of soft footsteps within the room, immediately stopped working and turned his attention to his lovely doll. He greeted his doll with a small smile. "Have you slept well, my beautiful doll?"

"I… suppose… "

There was a short pause.

"Since you are awake," Drocell said, "I reason, it is be a good time to dress you in something even more beautiful for the morning." The caring, gentle tone of his voice immediately dispelled any doubt of sincerity in Ciel's mind.

He got up from his wooden chair and set the unfinished doll aside and gently guided Ciel to the back of the store. A slight chill ran through Ciel as he remembered the very hallway and its menacing and dim lights. Strangely enough, while he walked quietly alongside the doll maker, this place offered him a sense of… warmth and comfort; something that was rarely felt even within the many rooms of the Phantomhive estate.

Drocell picked him up and set him on the another wooden chair that sat against the wall, he smiled slightly, "Please wait for a moment." The orange-haired doll maker walked to a dark, unlit corner of the room and opened the door of a closet. Curious, Ciel leaned to the side in an attempt to see what the doll maker has planned for him to wear.

"What are you looking for?" The tone of curiosity was evident in his voice. His question was immediately answered when Drocell turned around. In his hand he held a set of clothing in an ivory-white.

"This colour, I reason, will look beautiful against your skin…"

Ciel let out a yawn, trying to focus his gaze on the garments set out for him. _I'm… so sleepy …_ "A-are we going somewhere…?" He struggled to stay awake as Drocell began to dress him.

"Would you like to accompany me on some errands today, my beautiful doll?" He finished buttoning the last button on Ciel's clothing, tying a matching silk ribbon around his neck.

Ciel nodded, rubbing his eyes. _Why do my arms feel so… heavy?_ It seemed to take all of his strength to lift his arms to rub his eyes. Drocell helped him stand on his feet and dressed him in a warm coat before leading him outside – a gentle smile plastered his face.

Locking the door of the shop before going on their way, strolling around the streets of London, they passed a newsboy standing in front of a newsstand.

"_Phantomhive Earl Mysteriously Disappears: Nowhere to be Found!_" The newspaper boy waved a copy of the newspaper while he announced the headline. The two of them stopped dead in their tracks before turning their attention to the newspaper boy.

"Wud ya like a copy, 'ood sir?" The newspaper boy handed Drocell a copy of the newspaper, the headline in large, black bold print with a very detailed black-and-white picture of the Earl, sitting in his chair, frowning. "Qui' a case ain' it? Disappearin' withou' a trace an' all…"

Drocell's violet eyes focused on the newspaper boy for a split second before scanning over the article.

"_Two weeks into the search for the missing Earl Ciel Phantomhive... Scotland Yard is baffled...With no ransom note…" _He looked at his doll, who looked back at him with his deep, sapphire eyes.

"Is… something wrong?" Ciel asked with a loud yawn, barely paying attention. He had to struggle to keep himself from wobbling.

"No," Drocell smiled back at him and returned the newspaper to the newspaper boy, "We shall continue on our way," He took Ciel's hand and led the way into the heart of London.

=.=.=.=

A tall male figure clad in a black cloak stood far away, watching the doll maker leading the child through the crowd of people in the bustling streets of London.

_Ah… Young Master… I have finally found you. How amusing it is to see how easily you have been manipulated by that puppeteer. _His ruby red eyes followed his master as the two of them walked by, _Though_ _it is quite befitting; You may be the Queen's watchdog, the head of the Phantomhive household, and the president of the most successful toy company in England… but you are still a child. And a child's mind is malleable..._ He quickly disappeared – reappearing in a dark alley not too far away. It was time for an interception. _You cannot run from a demon, Young master. _He walked out into the busy streets, just in time to have Ciel bump into him.

"I-I'm terribly sorry, sir!" Ciel stumbled a few steps backwards, startled. He looked up to be greeted with a pair of fierce, red eyes. "S-Sebastian?" He looked around quickly, as if frantic, to see that Drocell has disappeared – swallowed by the thick crowd of people.

"I see you are still alive, young master." Sebastian greeted him with a slight bow, his lips curved into a smirk.

It took all of Ciel's will power not to slap him across his face in an attempt to wipe that annoying smirk off of his face. "You… bastard…" He managed to choke out, his hands bunched into tight fists as he glared at his butler. Wait… _was_ he still his butler…?

"Ah… I see you seem quite surprised to see me, young master," Sebastian bowed slightly lower, his smirk growing wider, "I am honoured."

"…"

"Oh… you are speechless. I see that in your haste to make a contract with me, you have not taken the terms of our contract completely to heart," He mused.

"Shut up! You damned bastard," Ciel hissed between his teeth.

" I see you are still upset with me, Bocchan," Sebastian noted blandly, "However, even in our current situation…this will not change the fact that I am responsible for your well-being until our contract is fulfilled."

"Tch," Ciel scoffed, his deep, blue eyes continued to glare at his butler, "You're doing a _fine_ job of _that_ you damned demon." He commented with sarcasm, his tone laced with annoyance. Couldn't his supposed "one hell of a butler" butler tell that he was reduced to a talking doll?

"Ah... I am pleased to know that your resolve has not shattered completely," He lifted a gloved hand and gently placed it against his master's porcelain cheek only to have his hand swatted away angrily by his master.

"Who gave you permission to touch me?"

"My _sincerest_ apologies, Bocchan," Sebastian bowed, that smirk faltering slightly.

Ciel continued to stare at his butler coldly in silence, feeling his legs wobble in the slightest.

"Then I shall eagerly await your call…_my lord_." Before Ciel knew it, Sebastian had done the unspeakable; turning and walking away from him. Him! As Sebastian's cloaked figure melted into the crowd, Ciel attempted to chase after him. There's no way he will let Sebastian get away with this! His porcelain legs ran as fast as he could possibly make them, down one street after another until he ran into a dead end with Sebastian nowhere to be seen.

Ciel gritted his teeth angrily – his body quivering in a mix of anger and disbelief. Unbelievable! That bastard left him all alone again! Turning around to leave, Ciel felt his legs wobble, to the point of giving out. _Am I tired…? W-what is this feeling…?_ He took a few more wobbly, slow steps; it was getting harder and harder to walk. Staggering onward, he felt his legs finally give out from under him. He collapsed onto the dirt ground – his body numb and unresponsive. His vision began to lose focus. In his fading consciousness he saw the unfocused outline of the doll maker walking towards him, closer and closer.

A stray tear fell from his eyes. _You were supposed to never leave my side, Sebastian. What… happened…?_

=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=

…

…

_W-what is this place?_ He was floating, surrounded by … feathers? _Damn… not this dream again…_

"_Bocchan…"_

_Sebastian?_ He could feel himself drifting lazily around in this odd place. It felt… nice.

"_Bocchan… it is time for you to wake up…"_

_But… this place feels nice… it's peaceful and quiet… I… don't want to wake up yet…_

"_Bocchan… you must…"_ Was there desperation in his voice?

_No… I'm sleeping…Where is your voice coming from?_

"_Bocchan…" _He felt two arms slowly wrapping themselves around him. _Mm… That feels nice too. It's nice and warm…just… let me sleep for a few more minutes… __"__As long as the contract exists, I will protect your life. However, if you make a mistake of your own accord, you will only experience the most brutal of suffering. You are aware, are you not?"_

_There is no contract anymore… He took out my contract eye. Our contract is over Sebastian…you don't need to protect or serve me anymore…_

"_Ah… that is where you are wrong, my Lord."_

_I am?_

"_The contract mark is simply something demons put onto their contractor so that we may locate you wherever you may be." _Ciel closed his eyes only to feel a gentle touch on his right eyelid. _"And the closer that mark is to the eye, the stronger the enforcement. Without the contract mark on your eye, it was slightly more difficult to locate you. That is all."_

Ciel reopened his eyes to find himself being carried in his butler's arms; both of them floating in this world of grey. _Why am I dreaming about you Sebastian? _

"_Bocchan…this is no dream… this place is the border between the realms of life and death."_

Life and death? _Am I dying…?_

"_Yes you are. And the longer you stay here, the closer you will be to death. And the harder to bring you back to the realm of the living."_

_How… did this happen?_

"_Bocchan… please do not speak more. You need to wake up now. Or you may never wake up again."_

_Was this the doll-maker's doing?_

"_You will find the answers once you wake up, Bocchan. Now please do not linger here any longer."_

_Never leave my side again, Sebastian. That's an order._

"_Yes, my Lord," _Sebastian gave a slight bow, "_I shall be forever by your side; until the end. Until I hear the words, 'check mate'."_

_=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.= _

Ciel's opened his eyes slowly to find himself standing in an eerily familiar dim-lit room. He tried to move, only to find his body as heavy and unresponsive as ever. Suddenly, something that resembled a thin thread of silk caught his eye. Squinting slightly, the thin, silk-like thread became easier to see. His eyes followed the string trying to find the source or whatever that string was connected into; following it as long as he could to its source only to find it disappearing into a dark corner of the room.

_Well, that was unproductive._

He then retraced the thread with his eyes to find where it was attached to. He can feel a throbbing in the back of his head; the pounding in his head getting louder and louder as he traced the thread – it was getting closer and closer to him. He tilted his head slightly to see where the thread ended; attached securely to his wrist. He let out a startled cry, his body jerked out of reflex, throwing himself off balanced and toppling over.

_W-where the hell am I? _He felt around the dark room, crawling around the room – too afraid to get up. _Why was there this… string around my wrist?_ He tugged on it slightly, immediately noting its durability despite its delicate appearance. He tried to move his arm but was held in place by the string. _What is going on here?_ He gave his arm another desperate jerk with the same result. _Damn it!_

Ciel froze when he heard footsteps from the other side of the room, coming closer and closer. The door slowly creaked open allowing light to penetrate the dark room. _This… this is…!_ Ciel's eyes widened with realization. The room was filled with the life-sized dolls; The room where he casted away his former life to...to do what...? He felt the wrist that was bound by this mysterious thread pull him into a standing position.

"What a naughty little doll you are," Drocell stated, slowly walking into the room, "You are not supposed to move."

Ciel stood there, frozen in a state of anger, fear, and disbelief while staring at the doll maker. He was walking towards him, closer and closer, in an agonizingly slow pace.

_Bocchan… call my name…_

Drocell was now in arm's distance away from him before he felt another piece of thread attach itself to his arms and legs, rendering him immobile.

"You truly _are_ one of a kind, my beautiful doll. So full of life."

_Call the name you have given me, Bocchan._

"Sebastian…" Ciel felt a dull burning sensation in his right eye. Was he here? He looked around. Nope.

"Oh?" Drocell leaned closer to examine his surfacing contract in his eye, "Your eye is damaged once again and such an… odd mark it is. Another replacement, I reason, is necessary." The orange-haired doll-maker turned and walked out of the room to retrieve his tools and another glass eye to replace his 'damaged' eye – leaving Ciel all alone. Unable to move his body, he quickly scanned the room. _This room… it's filled with these strings….! But… where do they lead to?_

Then Ciel saw them – the crowd of life-size dolls with the strings attached to every movable joint on their bodies. Unable to help himself, he cried out in alarm while trying to wriggle himself free. He felt something move behind him and heard it clatter to the floor. His heart skipped a beat when he heard the sound of a little girl crying.

"_I… don't want to go back…"_

That sound…! His mind flashed back to the day he made his decision to stay. _It… it was all a lie?_ But… why? Tears of frustration, embarrassment and anger stung his face. _I was such a fool._ _How could I be so stupid…?_

He turned his head as the shadow of the doll-maker made its way to the door. "I hope you are not purposely hurting yourself, my beautiful doll. Such an injury is not beautiful…" He set the glass eye aside.

_Bocchan… now is not the time to hesitate…_

"S…Sebastian…" Ciel called out weakly, his body trembling and his vision blurred by tears. _What is this… lightheaded feeling?_

"Such a peculiar doll you are," Drocell said as he walked to a nearby drawer and took out his tools, "So lively… but a doll full of life – such a willful doll, it is not beautiful." He slowly walked to his trembling doll and pried his contract eye open forcefully.

_No… not this time. I will not succumb to such a thing. Never again!_ He glared at the doll-maker with his eyes as the pentagram on his eye began to glow. "Sebastian!"

Immediately, the sound of clicking heels rang loudly in a slow, calm pattern – coming closer and closer.

"Good grief, Bocchan… it took you longer than expected to call for me. Have you found the answers you were looking for?" Sebastian's voice was coming closer and closer to that dark, eerie room.

"I have had enough of this! End this immediately! That's an order!" Ciel snapped back through gritted teeth, seething with rage at his butler's light, carefree tone.

"_Yes, my Lord."_ Sebastian's shadow blocked the light emitted from the hall with only his glowing demonic eyes piercing the darkness.

Within a second, Ciel felt the thin strings holding him prisoner break with a satisfying snap before being released from his tangled imprisonment and the comfort of his butler's arms carrying him. _Is this… safety…?_

"Such a troublesome young master you are. You _do_ seem to have a knack for getting caught in such situations. Though this time, you were a bit too close to death as I would have liked."

Ciel glared at his butler, "This is no time to be spouting your sick jokes you idiot!"

"Indeed… I do apologize."

"Now hurry up and end this! I don't care how; just do it!" It was madness, perhaps even hysteria that Ciel felt at that moment. He felt his heart pounding against his chest and his head throbbed painfully while his nails dug into his butler's shirt – clutching onto what he hoped was his sanity, trembling.

"Why must you interfere with my work?" Drocell's mechanical voice interrupted the duo's little argument, "Who are you, and why do you steal my beautiful doll away?"

"I am _not_ your - !" Sebastian gently covered his master's mouth.

"Please calm down, Bocchan. I shall settle this as quickly as I can." With Sebastian's gloved hand over his mouth, the only thing he could do was nod.

"Then I shall do everything I can to take my precious doll back." As Drocell said this, the dolls around the room began to twitch before they stood up – their porcelain and wax hands entangled with the puppet strings wrapped themselves around the various weapons around the room. "_Make the dolls with iron bars, iron bars. Make the dolls with iron bars. My Fair Lady…"_

Upon hearing the eerie tune, Ciel felt his porcelain body turn stiff and watched in pure horror as his body began to move on its own – trying to escape his butler's grasp. "S-Sebastian! What is going on?" His body wriggled out of Sebastian's grasp, landed on the ground and stiffly stood up and mechanically walked towards the doll maker. "SEBASTIAN!"

"Such a talkative doll you are," Drocell stated - watching his doll return to him and felt his little doll flinch as he rested a hand on his porcelain cheeks, "Perhaps I shall silence you." Tools flew into his hands from all directions of the room while he sang his eerie song.

"…_Little doll of porcelain, porcelain, porcelain…"_

Ciel felt his body lean back, exposing his throat to the doll maker – he could feel the tears building up inside him. His eyes scanned the dimly lit room frantically. Where is Sebastian now?

"…_Muted doll of porcelain, porcelain, porcelain…"_

Ciel's body trembled uncontrollably, feeling the cold metal of Drocell's tools make contact with his throat – the sharp edge of his tool preparing to pierce throat his neck.

"…_Forever… silenced…"_

Ciel clamped his eyes shut – his head being the only body part left in his control – waiting for the inevitable pain that will likely pierce his body.

Suddenly, Ciel heard the sound of cracking, splintering wood before his body finally gave out and collapsed into Sebastian's waiting arms. "It is over, my Lord."

_So… warm..._ Ciel unconsciously leaned towards his butler's hold before opening his eyes to look at him. Strange… he's never felt like this near his butler before.

"How strange," The sound of Drocell's voice started Ciel out of his moment of comfort, "I am human… but I have stuffing falling out of my chest and arm…"

Ciel looked at the broken remains of the doll maker and the dolls that littered the floor silently before burying his face into his butler's chest, "I've had enough. Burn this place to the ground."

"Are you certain, my Lord?"

"Don't argue with me. Burn this place to the ground; that's an order!"

"_Yes, my Lord."_

With a wave of his white gloved hand, the candles in the room ignited while the flame burned bigger and bigger – swallowing everything in the room.

Ciel could not help but let out a sigh of relief, though the fire continued to spread like a contagious disease throughout the entire shop. He can hear the frantic cries of civilians at the sight of the shop bursting ablaze and the heroic voices of those that dared try to extinguish Hell's flames. A Demon's flame cannot be extinguished so easily. He has never felt anything so comforting in his life. And with that, Earl Ciel Phantomhive fell into a peaceful slumber.

…

Sebastian stealthy carried his young master to safety – taking care to avoid the eyes of humans. He stopped, a good distance away; far enough to get away from ashes and desperate screams of frantic humans before focusing his gaze on his master's sleeping face. His milky-white skin, no longer reflecting the light of the fire that burned the doll shop slowly into ashes, was soft and smooth – his cheeks having a soft pink tint as he slept. _You look like a vulnerable, defenseless child, Bocchan…_

Sebastian leaned closer to his master's sleeping form, "Welcome back, my Lord."

* * *

><p><strong>Well... this is it! My first Kuroshitsuji fanfiction! I hope you guys enjoyed it. There was a hint of fanservice wasnt there? xD Not the ending you were hoping for?<strong>

**Anyways, I shall be posting up an epilogue sooner or later... maybe a bit of fanservice? Stay tuned! Thank you for reading this and please leave some feedback!**


	3. Epilogue

**Sorry this took so long. I... completely forgot to put it up. It wasn't meant to be all that long and it's an optional chapter with suggestive SebxCiel but it's nothing too big of a deal and it's not meant to be too... lengthy (compared to my usual 4k+ worded chapters). I do not own anything except this plot.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this very last "chapter" of my first ever Kuroshitsuji fanfiction. Until next time~!**

* * *

><p>Earl Ciel Phantomhive stirred – being awakened by the aroma of Earl Grey tea that slowly filled his bedroom and opened his eyes slowly upon hearing his butler's voice.<p>

"It's time to wake up, my Lord." Sebastian said, pulling away away the curtains to allow the bright morning sunlight bathe the room with its morning glow.

Ciel rubbed his eyes with a small yawn, stretching, after sitting up, his legs dangling over the edge of his bed, waiting for the rest of his usual morning routine to go about their ways. "What is the schedule for today?" He calmly took the tea from his butler before taking a small dainty sip. It's been an entire week since Ciel's return and thanks to Sebastian; everything was running as smoothly as if his two-week-long disappearance had never happened... well... almost.

"Members of the Scotland Yard, including Lord Randall will be arriving in an hour to question your whereabouts during your two-week absence, once more. That is all." Sebastian answered while buttoning up his young master's white lace-collared shirt, changing the subject immediately. "For today's breakfast, I have prepared baked salmon and an assorted seafood salad with side dishes of crème cheese Danish, butter croissant, and strawberry scones for you to choose from. Which one would you like?" He buttoned up the last button of his maroon-coloured jacket and tied the matching ribbon tie around his neck.

"The scone…" Ciel replied half-heartedly while Sebastian tied his eye patch and put on his shoes. He stood up, paying no mind to his butler.

"Is something troubling you, my Lord?" There was a hint of worry in the butler's voice as he asked, following his master out of his room at a respectable distance.

"Yes. Scotland Yard does not seem too convinced with the excuse you and I have fabricated during our previous meetings." The young Earl answered, without much thought, "After all, I do not intend on revealing the fact that my butler is a demon to incompetent fools."

"It would also seem that Scotland Yard is convinced you have developed amnesia as a result of this... _traumatic_ experience, young master."

_Tch... how typical of them..._"You are to convince them using any means necessary, Sebastian. I have some personal matters to attend to elsewhere."

"Would you not rather I accompany you on this errand?"

"I will summon you when I am finished." Ciel walked down to his usual dining chair to begin his meal, "Ready the carriage. I will have Tanaka take me while you prepare for the Yard's arrival."

"I understand," Sebastian said with a slight bow, "Please _try_ not to get lost again, my Lord," Sebastian called out to him while turning to leave and do his task, ignoring the angry glare his master gave him.

With Sebastian out of the dining room, Ciel was left alone to think while he ate; trying hard to sort and comprehend why he felt this way... and with such urgency.

After finishing his breakfast, Ciel walked out of mansion with his top hat and skull-headed walking cane and got on the carriage that stood waiting for him. Tanaka drove the carriage at record speed – taking him to the heart of London where the faint smell ashes from the fire his butler caused still lingered in the air. Stopping a few blocks away from the crumbling ash remains of the doll shop, Ciel climbed out of the carriage, waved dismissively asking Tanaka to leave before walking towards the shop. There was an empty feeling inside him – something he had not felt since that fateful night more than two years ago…but why was this feeling resurfacing? It was as if an indescribable force was pulling him back to the remnants of that doll shop. The closer he walked, the heavier and stronger the empty feeling became.

Arriving at what used to be the quaint little doll shop, the charred remains of the building wobbled in the small breeze. Stepping inside, nothing was recognizable anymore though the images of the shop flashed inside his mind. Walking down the hall that led to the remains of the room where Ciel was sure Drocell met his demise, something shiny caught his eye. He walked up to it, carefully picked it out of the ashes, and shook the dust, dirt and ash off of it to examine this shiny little thing. It was a gold button from Drocell's brightly coloured jacket.

His mind replayed the two weeks of his supposed kidnapping, though it really isn't kidnapping considering he unknowingly gave consent – no matter how twisted it was. Oddly enough, while it lasted, there really wasn't a day in those fourteen days where there was no laughter; Laughter always filled the shop in the late hours of the night; singing and dancing. Just the two of them. An awkward grimace of a smile made its way to his lips while he clenched the gold button tightly. _Even if it _was_ all a lie in the end…_

Ciel pocketed the gold button before walking out of the doll shop's crumbling remains. _Are you so eager to have a taste of something you have lost that you would throw everything away in an attempt to only touch it? To surround yourself with lies in an attempt to take back the childhood that was unwillingly stolen from you?_ Sebastian was right. As much as he hated to admit out loud, no matter how hard he tried to present himself as an adult, he was still a child. And a child... wants to be loved...cared for...and... wanted.

_Humans are selfish creatures…_

Ciel walked down dusty streets of downtown London. He bit his lips, choking back the emotions building up inside him. No… he can't let this bother him he refused allow such a display of emotion - making him appear weak. No..he chose to throw away his future for the sake of revenge; sold his soul to the devil that is waiting for his call. Ciel shivered slightly before shaking away his insecurities – at least he tried to mask them. He chose this cold, lonely path for the sake of vengeance and he will not back down now.

_What has been sacrificed will never return…_

Ciel pondered his emotional predicament while his legs carried him to another unknown part of the city. _We as humans have desires and temptations, but whether we grab on to that thread or not is our choice to make. Especially because I am a… _He clenched his fists_, a child… it is nearly impossible to resist; like a subconscious need. But for what? Affection? The need to feel loved and love back in return? How pathetic I have become..._

He soon found himself face to face to an old, crumbling wall. Somehow, he got lost again. He let out an exasperated sigh before removing his eye-patch, his contract eye glowing.

"Sebastian, take me home." He said in a calm, collected voice.

"Yes, my Lord." His butler's voice replied, appearing behind his young master, "Have you found what you were looking for?"

"Shut the hell up and just take me home, demon," There was a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"As you wish."

x.x.x.x

Ciel went through the rest of the day in a daze; ignoring Sebastian's suggestive remarks, even dismissed the fact that one of Sebastian's kittens managed to escape the closet and roam around the mansion with only mild acknowledgement and a few sneezes. It wasn't until Sebastian was dressing him for bed that his behavior was questioned.

"Something is upsetting you, my Lord?" Sebastian asked, hands working to button up Ciel's white nightshirt.

"What makes you think something is wrong? I'm fine," Ciel snapped back.

"Are you certain?" Sebastian asked, tucking him into bed.

"Are you questioning me, Sebastian?" His mismatched eyes looked back at his butler.

"No. Please forgive me for being out of line," Sebastian answered as he stood up to leave, "Good night, my Lord."

"Stay here tonight," Ciel called to him, "That's an order." Sebastian stopped at the door before turning around to look at his master – whose miss-matched eyes stared at him, almost pleading.

"Of course, my Lord," He stood at the side of his master's bed, watching quietly while his master's eyes slowly closed, breathing in and out in a slow, steady rhythm – finally falling asleep.

Sebastian continued to observe his master's sleeping form, noting how the moonlight's glow made his master look all the more vulnerable and innocent. He leaned closer to his master's sleeping form, gently brushing strands of his dark, grayish-blue locks from his face, leaning closer still until their lips almost touched. He can smell the irresistible ambrosia that was his master's soul from his body – his eyes glowing with hunger and lust. Their lips brushed against each other's before Sebastian pulled away.

"Such a peculiar human you are, my Lord…to be surrounded by those that will sacrifice their entire being for you... yet be completely deaf to it," He got up to close the curtains before returning to his master's side, stroking his hair gently with his gloved fingers. He continued to speak in a soft, low murmur, "you never seize to amuse me."

"Sebastian!" A pair of mismatched eyes stared at him, "What were you doing?"

"I apologize, my Lord. Have I disturbed your sleep?"

"No. I… can't sleep," Ciel answered hesitantly, "Sit on the bed."

Sebastian immediately returned to his master's beside and sat beside his master on the bed obediently.

"I never said you had to stop…" Ciel looked away to hide the faint blush that made its way to his porcelain-like cheeks as he said this, "Keep… doing what you were doing…"

"I shall, my Lord." His gloved hand rested on his master's head.

"Take off the glove," Ciel pulled his blankets to cover the lower half of his face, revealing only those big, mismatched, pleading eyes that looked at his butler.

"You act like a child, only when it is convenient to you, don't you, my little master?" Sebastian removed his glove and rested his hand on his master's head gently and began stroking his hair again.

"Shut up." Ciel turned his back towards his butler from embarrassment. He would never admit to his butler how nice it felt to have his hand run through his hair. _That was a sign of weakness_. He closed his eyes the feeling of warmth coursed through his fragile frame.

_Who would have thought the Gates of Hell would be so… comforting and warm…? _Ciel mumbled before drifting into sleep.

"My Lord," Sebastian whispered when he was sure Ciel was asleep, " I will follow you everywhere; as you slowly slip into insanity, as you fall into the depths of hell. I will forever be by your side."

_For I am one hell of a butler for my master._

* * *

><p><strong>Well... this is it! I hope all of you that read this fanfiction enjoyed it to the very end.<strong>

**ありがとございます、みんなさま。Until next time.**

**~LR**


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